inspirations

Today I went to the rodeo in Kansas, it was definitely interesting, but I don't think I really fit in or understood most of it... but on to the things I actually wanted to share in this blog!

I am incredibly inspired today by Eric Whitacre, as my love for his music probably borders on obsession. I decided to give some composition a shot since I have more time on my hands during the break. I don't claim to be much good but I like the little I've done so far. I've got some cool ideas for recurring themes and polyphonic movement in what I'm working on, its just almost entirely new territory for me.

I decided to attempt to compose a choral piece based on the poem "On Walking" by John O'Donohue

here is the poem:

I give thanks for arriving

Safely in a new dawn,

For the gift of eyes

To see the world,

The gift of mind

To feel at home

In my life,

The waves of possibility

Breaking on the shore of dawn,

The harvest of the past

That awaits my hunger,

And all the furtherings

This new day will bring

you can check out information about the author here: John O'Donohue

also, been listening to a lot of Skrillex lately, and I stumbled across this video of a new track of his, I can't wait to hear this monster in its entirety, and what he does really inspires me to get into electronic music. I think some year in the future when I have more time and money on my hands I will invest in the necessary equipment and train myself to create this kind of stuff, its really amazing.

here's the video of the new track: 

also, the new Radiohead cd is still amazing.

verdict

The King of Limbs.... is SOOOOOOOO good!!!

to be expected of course, my only slight complaint is the length.. 8 songs, but they are all nearly 5 minutes long, and the quality is so great that it doesn't worry me. besides, they will probably release a special edition down the road with another 6 songs or something... and I will happily pay them for it!

biggest thing I'm glad about at this point: the amount of guitar work on the album. I love all their stuff, but I kind of wondered if they would do a Kid A kinda thing, where it was mostly synth or programming, but they managed to give this CD a very ethereal sound while still using a lot of guitar. love it.

Kansas is pretty cool.

uhmm... now that I'm done ranting about the Radiohead album I don't really know what else to say.. so I'll leave with that. have a good one, and don't talk to too many strangers!

Coldplay always hits me where it matters.

I had a nap tonight from 8 to 9 before I worked. needless to say I'm not tired at all now... I plan to spend my late night hours packing for my trip to Kansas... I'll be sure to update my blog again soon, hopefully with my impressions of the new Radiohead record coming out tomorrow! I hope you all have a wonderful spring break!

geeking out

well you might all expect me to be blogging yet again about my obsession with all things Radiohead this week. But in fact I won't bore you with any more geeking out over them.

I just had a coffee date with a fantastic friend of mine, it was such a pleasure and I'm really thankful for the conversation we had! following that I think I should probably shower.... my hair looks like a birds nest since i woke up...

I hid it pretty good with a toque when we went for coffee but I'm going to have to deal with it before I go vote for student council members and go to my guitar lesson..

I put new strings on my classical guitar last night, and it will be a treat to play with them today =] but I also need to pack, since I will be Kansas-bound in just about 24 hours! READING BREAK!!

see you all later, remember to comb your hair, unless its short enough that it requires no maintenance...

two more days

Meeting in the Aisle....

they wrote this before Kid A even came out.. I just respect so much how they pushed themselves even as their record companies and fans were screaming for the same thing over and over again.

Reckoner

Reckoner
You can't take it with you
Dancing for your pleasure

You are not to blame for
Bittersweet distractor
Dare not speak it's name
Dedicated to all human beings

Because we separate like ripples on a blank shore
(In rainbows)
Because we separate like ripples on a blank shore

Reckoner
Take me with you
Dedicated to all human beings

the ceaseless happenings

First things first, Im beside myself with excitement because of an announcement that was made just yesterday. Radiohead have just announced their new full length album The King of Limbs will be released this Saturday. I have already ordered the "Newspaper Album" edition which includes over 600 pieces of artwork and the album on both vinyl and digital. I have been waiting for this album for over a year now, since they entered the studio in late 2009? I had been checking their website nearly daily for the last year or so in hope of some news and then they dropped this on me less than a week before the album will be released. I have a feeling that a significant portion of my semester will be spent listening to this album...

Aside from that, the last couple days have been crazy. also several unexpected expenses have come up. I went to Mount Royal University tonight to watch Brad teach some guitar lessons for my music practicum class, and I didn't realize that their parking lot is NOT free parking. it was not very well labeled, and I ended up getting a ticket. poo.

Also, lots of other things seem to be crashing down at once. the strange thing is that I'm hardly stressed about it, I think that the last year of my life has really conditioned me to just give these things up to God, do my best, and carry on. I think there's also something to be said for the value of pulling back to the big picture of things. 40$ in the long run isn't going to mean much to me, I'm really living for much more.

I feel like I'm making significant progress in my studies. My note reading and technique in my classical guitar repertoire feels like its making a big climb upwards, and today I started diving a bit deeper into the jazz stuff that Brad has given me. I'm looking forward to playing my electric more after this semester, and hopefully getting my shred on at some point too. Also with this music practicum class I'm actually making significant steps towards being able to make some money with what I'm studying. I'm going to finish the course with a document written up of my own teaching philosophy, which I can use when I apply for teaching jobs! and it goes without saying that this excites me =]

I hope you all have a fantastic night! tell me whats going on in your life =]

moments

I was browsing through some pictures today and I just love seeing some of the little moments that happen when people are writing music or performing that music. Wether its an "aha!" moment or one of intense passion while performing I think that we have all have experienced moments similar to these, in whatever creative activities we have been a part of. Here are a few of my favorites...

edit: you can click on the pictures to blow them up and look at them in detail ^_^

I hope you guys all enjoyed these pictures, I know I did. Also, happy Valentines Day, I hope its a good one! I'll try to be more faithful to updating this thing... I know you are all dying to know what I'm thinking ;)